Does creatine help older people get stronger after a stroke?
Influence of CReatine Supplementation on mUScle Mass and Strength After Stroke (ICaRUS Stroke Trial): A Randomized Controlled Trial
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Creatine significantly lowered serum progranulin levels, a biomarker not previously linked to creatine metabolism.
Progranulin is primarily studied in neurodegenerative diseases, not muscle recovery. Lowering it could be good (reducing inflammation) or bad (impairing repair), but the effect was totally unexpected.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t rely on creatine to speed up muscle recovery after stroke in older adults.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Creatine significantly lowered serum progranulin levels, a biomarker not previously linked to creatine metabolism.
Progranulin is primarily studied in neurodegenerative diseases, not muscle recovery. Lowering it could be good (reducing inflammation) or bad (impairing repair), but the effect was totally unexpected.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t rely on creatine to speed up muscle recovery after stroke in older adults.
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2024
Authors
J. Souza, M. F. Minicucci, N. C. Ferreira, B. Polegato, M. P. Okoshi, G. Modolo, Filipe W. Leal-Pereira, B. Phillips, P. Atherton, Kenneth Smith, D. Wilkinson, A. Gordon, S. Tanni, V. E. Costa, M. F. Fernandes, S. Bazan, Leonardo A. M. Zornoff, Sergio A. R. Paiva, R. Bazan, P. Azevedo
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking creatine helps your muscle cells soak up more water, making them swell a bit—and this swelling tells your body to stop breaking down muscle as much.
Older adults in the hospital for a certain kind of stroke can safely take a specific dose of creatine for a week — it’s generally well-tolerated, though some might get mild stomach issues or temporary changes in a kidney-related blood test.
Older adults getting better after a certain kind of stroke tend to gain strength and move better over three months, whether or not they take creatine — so most of the improvement probably comes from regular rehab and the body healing on its own.
Older adults who had a stroke didn’t get stronger or gain more muscle from taking creatine for a week, even if they ate enough protein and started moving early.
Taking 20 grams of creatine a day for a week after a certain kind of stroke might lower a brain-related protein linked to inflammation in older adults — suggesting it could help with brain healing.